As Ramadan embraced us in its spiritual embrace, the Holy City of Qum ushered away delegates from a unique Moral Character Conference organized by Imam Khomeini (RA) International University, Islamic College (London), and the Institute for Ethics and Education (Qum). Also supporting the event were the Institute for Ethics and Education (Qum), Muslim Schools Education Network, the Association of Islamic Education and Training, The Research Institute of Hawza and University as well as IKERI. Ramadans dawn was very fitting as Muslims, even the most liberal apathetic religious practitioners, are fundamentally compelled to reevaluate our morality, our values and our actions in this auspicious and holy month of fasting and reflection.
In the West this self-appraisal is arguably a much more acute experience because it is supplemented by more awkward moral questions that are stalking our lifestyle choices. For instance – ‘What is a family?’ is now a real question given the State and Western schools are promoting ‘Daddy, Papa and Me’ nuclear family models, and should same sex marriage be accepted as normal by Muslims in Britain, as seems to be expected of us by establishment. Is it fine for homosexuality to become a normative social practice in our communities? Gender is probably the greatest new moral debate in the West – how many genders are there? ( Not just two anymore but 51 plus now – apparently). The list seems endless – is it right to allow parents to tamper with the genetics of an unborn baby? and will robots ever adhere to Prophetic morality or that of transnational corporations? Just some of the ethical questions a 21st century Muslim in the West may well be asked and might well also answer in a way that puts him in confrontation with his non religious peers especially. Pluralism, in the West, does after all seem to have its boundaries.
As the religion of secularism continues to dominate global economics and politics the world lurches from one moral crisis to another and as ever more complex advances in science, such as bio genetic engineering or robotics and nano technology, raise moral questions that if left in the hands of greedy profit oriented hyper-capitalists may well lead to disastrous consequences for humanity. So it would seem one of the most urgent needs of the age is for Islam and Muslims to engage actively in shaping the moral decisions and future of mankind.
In light of the above challenges this timely and much needed Anglo-Iranian Islamic morality initiative was delivered very professionally. A substantial British delegation formed part of a ground-breaking inaugural conference on Values Based Education was held in Qum this month. Grand Ayatollah Jawadi Ameli of the Iran’s Supreme Council, their Eminences Grand Ayatollah’s Arifi and Subhani were among the most prominent scholars who addressed the delegation in public and private meetings on the vital nature of developing better understanding and contemporary models of Prophetic moral education across the world. They also offered advice on the role of Muslims in the West and how they should develop a moral culture that should serve as an example to non Muslims but recognized that this was a considerable struggle in the face of a Western society discarding even its Christian moral values..
The three day conference in Qum was primarily organized and hosted by Dr Isa Jahangir, Director of the Islamic College (London), and Shaykh Dr Mohammad Javad Zarean of the Imam Khomeini International University. The conference was supplemented by further meetings in Masshad with leading educationists and the ziyarat of Imam Raza (as).
The organizers said the aim of the conference was “to bring together people of diverse disciplines with an interest in Character education to explore the Islamic perspectives and outlook on most recent academically grounded, ethics based educational approaches and explore how insights from theory and practice could be integrated into a pragmatic curriculum for schools”. Given the evident rise of moral relativism in political cultural and social affairs on a global level, as manifested by the narcissistic, hedonistic and materialistic values of secular neo-liberalism, this focus on moral character development could not come a moment sooner.The homogeneous transnational corporate mono-culture emerging through the world of media,advertising and also a profit and growth-obsessed economic and secular political order is threatening the psychological and physical health and infrastructure of humanity with a rise in family breakdowns,environmental degradation, human conflict and the widening of wealth gaps between rich and poor.
Shaykh Jahangir said ” Islam is a religion with clearly defined set of timeless ethical principles, and its own set of Universal Islamic values” and ascertaining what the Islamic take on the contemporary models being proposed in the West is vital because, he says, ” we live in an increasingly interconnected world which calls for harmonious co-existence but also one which is increasingly manifesting polarized spheres between East and West .” Dr Jahangir adds that these gaps can only be bridged through deliberation upon and translation of the “ethical language belonging to our different traditions.”
Dr Mohammad Zarean asserts that “the main aims of character education are to help children develop traits that sustain a well rounded life and a sense of connectivity to the society they live in.The outcome of such education should result in the confident compassionate students who are effective contributors to society, capable of engaging in something beyond self, successful learners and responsible citizens. He explains that ” such a child would be equipped with with an inner compass that enables them to navigate life challenges,resist negative traits and to respect themselves and others.”
Among the nineteen or so presentations made were challenging contemporary issues of the West facing Muslims and others such as the teaching of gender fluidity, homosexual relationships and sex education in schools. Hannah Smith of the Initiative for Muslim Community Development argued for the development of a more clearly defined Islamic ‘moral culture’ in the West and in Muslim countries.The morality of the West’s war on terror and the resulting ‘Prevent’ counter terrorism strategy, which now views all Muslims under a lense of suspicion, in Britain also came under scrutiny. Mahdi Adham from Iran’s Ministry of Education focused on ‘the place of values in the formal and general education of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Jamileh Alimulhuda, from Shaheed Beheshti University in Tehran, presented her paper on ‘the challenge of freedom and order in moral education’ arguing that in religious education emphasis is placed on faith, justice,and goodness with all the Islamic ordinances formulated to support cohesion’. She observed, however, that ‘modern education is mainly centered on individual rights and social order which solidifies coherence based on the rule of law.’ She further argued for an Islamic Wilayah-based order whose education system based on a sense of communal belonging and multidimensional moral relationships that include parenting, husbandry, brotherhood,neighborhood, citizenship, management with the core aim of producing justice seekers. Mohsin Abbas,UK based broadcaster, called for a more robust branding of Islamic multimedia with more financial investment in quality content and narratives. He said “Islamic nations were failing in their religious obligation if they could not provide the world with high quality creative moral substance to counter Hollywood Bollywood and even more insidiously the Dark Net’s depraved cultural onslaught.”
Other speakers also gave erudite insights into Islamic moral theory whilst others focused o practical issues of morality in politics, media, and socio-cultural settings.The conference organizers pledged to continue the Anglo-British moral and character education exchange through informal dialogue and projects between participants and more formal quarterly Skype meetings leading to a regular annual conference – the next one being scheduled to take place in London. The hope is that the combination of Ulama academics and practitioners will ultimately emerge with moral character curriculum models as well as greater clarity on the dichotomy of living as a moral Muslim in a world that is becoming more and more infected by moral relativism and even worse the antithesis of Prophetic morality.
Source: Shafaqna
